rattle somebody's cage definition, rattle somebody's cage meaning | English dictionary
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rattle somebody's cage exp.
to rattle someone's cage means to do something that is likely to annoy them or unsettle them

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Collins

rattle  

 [1]  
      vb  
1    to make or cause to make a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, as of loose pellets colliding when shaken in a container  
2    to shake or cause to shake with such a sound  
the explosion rattled the windows     
3    to send, move, drive, etc., with such a sound  
the car rattled along the country road     
4    intr; foll by: on   to chatter idly; talk, esp. at length  
he rattled on about his work     
5    tr; foll by: off, out etc.   to recite perfunctorily or rapidly  
6    tr  
Informal   to disconcert; make frightened or anxious  
      n  
7    a rapid succession of short sharp sounds  
8    a baby's toy filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken  
9    a series of loosely connected horny segments on the tail of a rattlesnake, vibrated to produce a rattling sound  
10    any of various European scrophulariaceous plants having a capsule in which the seeds rattle, such as Pedicularis palustris (red rattle) and Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle)  
11    idle chatter  
12    an idle chatterer  
13      (Med)      another name for     →   rale  
     (C14: from Middle Dutch ratelen; related to Middle High German razzen, of imitative origin)  
English Collins Dictionary - English Definition & Thesaurus  
Collins
rattle   [2]  
      vb   tr; often foll by: down   to fit (a vessel or its rigging) with ratlines  
     (C18: back formation from rattling, variant of ratline)  

English Collins Dictionary - English Definition & Thesaurus  

Collins
Rattle  
      n   Sir Simon. born 1955, British conductor. Principal conductor (1980--91) and music director (1991--98) of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; appointed chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, to commence in 2002  

death rattle  
      n   a low-pitched gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person, caused by air passing through an accumulation of mucus in the trachea  
rattle   [1]  
      vb  
1    to make or cause to make a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, as of loose pellets colliding when shaken in a container  
2    to shake or cause to shake with such a sound  
the explosion rattled the windows     
3    to send, move, drive, etc., with such a sound  
the car rattled along the country road     
4    intr; foll by: on   to chatter idly; talk, esp. at length  
he rattled on about his work     
5    tr; foll by: off, out etc.   to recite perfunctorily or rapidly  
6    tr  
Informal   to disconcert; make frightened or anxious  
      n  
7    a rapid succession of short sharp sounds  
8    a baby's toy filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken  
9    a series of loosely connected horny segments on the tail of a rattlesnake, vibrated to produce a rattling sound  
10    any of various European scrophulariaceous plants having a capsule in which the seeds rattle, such as Pedicularis palustris (red rattle) and Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle)  
11    idle chatter  
12    an idle chatterer  
13      (Med)      another name for     →   rale  
     (C14: from Middle Dutch ratelen; related to Middle High German razzen, of imitative origin)  
rattle   [2]  
      vb   tr; often foll by: down   to fit (a vessel or its rigging) with ratlines  
     (C18: back formation from rattling, variant of ratline)  
red rattle  
      n      See     →   rattle     →   10  
yellow rattle  
      n      See     →   rattle   1     →   10  

English Collins Dictionary - English Definition & Thesaurus  

Collaborative Dictionary     English Definition
pull rank on somebody
exp.
use the authority given by a position (in society, in a company etc.) to determine someone to act in a certain manner
E.g: He is not eager to attend the event, but he has to be there because his boss pulled rank on him.
wipe the floor with somebody
exp.
defeat someone with arguments during a discussion; knock out [Fig.]
play dress-up
v.
to dress up as somebody or something, as a children's game
overshare
v.
to overshare is to share too much intimate information with somebody
"sorry, have I overshared?"
blag
v.
to blag information is to obtain it illegally by impersonating somebody on the phone
the duck's nuts
exp.
the best, the dog's bollocks , the bee's knees
the bee's knees
exp.
the duck's nuts, the best, the dog's bollocks
!
having a blast
id.
s'éclater en s'amusant
rain on one's parade
v.
spoil someone's plans; spoil someone's pleasure or joy
I hate to rain on your parade, but we will not be able to host your birthday party next week.

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"Collins English Dictionary 5th Edition first published in 2000 © HarperCollins Publishers 1979, 1986, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000 and Collins A-Z Thesaurus 1st edition first published in 1995 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995"